Moisture Control, Pipe Bags and the MP Watertrap

Controlling the moisture that collects in your bagpipe as a result of your blowing moist air into it is a very important part of maintaining a steady and reliable instrument.

Moisture can collect on reeds and adversely affect their performance so that the pipes won’t stay in tune. Moisture also condenses inside the drone bores, accumulating there until it beads up and runs down into the reeds. This can happen after as little as 25 minutes of playing in a cool environment.

Some people require more moisture control than others. For some pipers, a simple tube watertrap (below) will suffice. But for many the Ross Canister Bag is the best solution.

The Ross Canister Bag

It was developed to help pipers deal with the age-old problems of moisture collecting on the outsides of reeds or beading up inside the drone bores and running down the drones into the reeds. These problems have ruined countless solo and pipe band performances.  

The Canister Bag is fitted on the inside with a small box filled with a desiccant (a material able to absorb moisture from breath). Tubes connect the canister to the various stocks. The principle is that air being blown into the bag cannot pass to the reeds without first passing through the desiccant in the canister and having most of the moisture removed. What seems like an unusual solution to the moisture problem works like a charm.

Stocks fit into the Ross bag with hose clamps. The 'Livingstone small' Ross bag is an extra-small bag great for pipers 5' "7 and under.

Each bag has a zippered opening on the bottom that allows the piper to enter the bag and replace a saturated canister with a spare dry one (included). The entire unit is guaranteed for a year.

How do you know if you need a Canister Bag? If you frequently have unsteady or stopping drones due to wet reeds, or a wet and mouldy chanter reed, the Canister Bag is for you. If you don't, stick with what you have. Try this: after you’ve played your pipes for at least 35 minutes, remove the top of your outside tenor drone. Place your little finger up into the tuning chamber. If your finger comes out wet, you have a moisture issue to deal with! 

The zipper on the Ross bag is airtight, reliable and durable.

Ross Canister Bags come in an extremely comfortable extra-small size (also known as the 'Livingstone Small', named after a well known friend of mine who used to have these custom made), as well as small, medium or large. Sizes run slightly larger than most bags. By far the majority of pipers will use a small. See Bagpipe Selection and Fit for more details on sizing. Very few pipers will use a large. See Bag Covers and Cords for information on custom-fitted bag covers.

Note that standard pipe cases will not comfortably store a bagpipe fitted with a Ross Canister system.  A Ross zip bag in your preferred size is included with every set of pipes. To order separately, email, phone, or use shopping cart below.

Ross Canister Bag,
Extra-Small, Extended Small, Medium, Large
Sold with pipe sales only




Canister components
Sold with pipe sales only

The Bannatyne Lined Leather Bag

The drone stocks snap into ingenius grommets on the Bannatyne bag while the chanter stock is fastened in with a hose clamp.

 

This cowhide bag developed by Craig Bannatyne in West Lothian, Scotland, is lined with a waterproof but breathable synthetic that eliminates the need for seasoning, thus providing the heavier feel of a hide bag with no goopy maintenance. A heavy-duty airtight zipper on the side allows easy access to the internal water control. The Bannatyne system comes with its own watertrap. A Bannatyne bag can be substituted for Ross zip bag on request, no extra charge. To order separately, email, phone, or use  shopping cart below.

Bannatyne bag showing zip and watertrap.

Bannatyne Lined Leather pipe bag
Sold with pipe sales only

The McGillivray Piping Watertrap

Simple but effective tube watertraps like this one have been used for decades to control moisture being blown into the bag. The elbow joint is equipped with a rubber sleeve to fit snugly over the blowpipe stock and to avoid possible stock-cracking caused by hemped tenons. From here the tube runs along the bottom of the bag right up to the top back corner. It catches not only saliva, but also water vapour that condenses inside the tube. To empty it, you remove the blowstick and turn the whole bagpipe upside down.

Developing an effective trap is not as easy as it looks, and there are some on the market that restrict blowing and make the bagpipe harder to blow. This watertrap has been designed by me (it took a long time to get it just right!) to collect maximum moisture with no restriction or interference with the inside of the bag.

McGillivray Piping Watertrap
Sold with pipe sale only